Big 12 hoop rankings: Cyclones still the Big 12 team to beat

After the first two weeks of Big 12 men’s basketball action, nothing we’ve seen has disappointed us yet as far as what appears to be the nation’s strongest conference this season.

Here’s how we rank them going into Monday’s games:

1. Iowa State (14-1, 2-1, next game Monday vs. Kansas) — The Cyclones’ perimeter game fell apart at Oklahoma, leading to predictable results. That loss makes Monday’s home game with Kansas that much more important.

2. Oklahoma State (14-2, 2-1, next game Tuesday @ Kansas State) — Even without Michael Cobbins, the Cowboys won a tough one at West Virginia they might have lost in previous seasons. And with Cobbins’ departure, Marcus Smart is playing inside more with back-to-back double-doubles of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

3. Baylor (13-2, 1-1, next game Wednesday @ Texas Tech) — Baylor seems much more fluid offensively this season without Pierre Jackson commanding the ball on nearly every possession. The emergence of a solid bench with key contributors like Brady Heslip and Taurean Prince could be their salvation come March.

4. Kansas (11-4, 2-0, next game Monday @ Iowa State) — The Jayhawks are atop the Big 12 and are very close to being the conference’s best team. An upset at Iowa State would make them the Big 12′s clear early favorite. And DeAndre Kane’s injury makes their chances even better.

5. Oklahoma (13-3, 2-1, next game Tuesday @ Kansas State) — Thanks to some feisty perimeter defense against ISU, the Sooners could overcome shooting 40.6 percent against Iowa State and even a frigid 4-for-16 clankfest from leading scorer Cameron Clark and still beat the Cyclones.

6. Kansas State (12-4, 2-1, next game Tuesday vs. Oklahoma) — There’s no shame in losing in Lawrence like the Wildcats did. But KSU’s defensive struggles in the first half against the Jayhawks don’t bode well against the conference’s other top offensive teams. No wonder Bruce Weber is trotting out his “next game, big game” mantra to remind them of the remaining task against the rest of the conference.

7. West Virginia (10-6, 2-1, next game Monday vs. Texas) — The Mountaineers got the shot they wanted at the end of the Oklahoma State game. Unfortunately for them, Juwan Staten couldn’t hit a contested layup on the final play of the game.

8. Texas (12-4, 1-2, next game Monday @ West Virginia) — Cameron Ridley’s late heroics boosted the Longhorns to the late comeback victory over Tech and boosts them into their West Virginia game with some much-needed confidence.

9. Texas Tech (8-8, 0-3, next game Wednesday vs. Baylor) — Two losses after squandering leads in the final minute will shake the resolve of even a veteran coach like Tubby Smith. It will be interesting to see how the Red Raiders respond against Baylor.

10. TCU (9-6, 0-3, next game Wednesday @ Oklahoma State) — Rebounding woes were expected after big men Devonta Abron and Aaron Durley were lost before the season. But it will be a long season for Trent Johnson — particularly after the Horned Frogs were outrebounded by an average of 17.6 caroms per game in the first three games.